The refugee column moved steadfastly southward in their migration. Zhao Hanzhang’s group was different—they were going north against the flow of people.

With over thirty thousand people in the refugee column, some walked together in groups while others spread out, creating an endless stream. Zhao Hanzhang’s group carrying a person and going against the flow was too conspicuous, drawing many people to look back at them.

Some people glanced back at the bundles they carried on their bodies and immediately gathered ten or so people to quietly follow behind them.

All were young men around twenty years old. Though thin, they looked fierce. In contrast, Zhao Hanzhang’s group of seven included one being carried who looked near death, one woman, and one who looked like a weak scholar. The rest either had black and blue faces or were limping. Only Awei looked capable of fighting.

So they felt confident that twelve people could easily handle them.

Zhao Hanzhang noticed as soon as they started following. Shi Hongtu also noticed. His heart tightened, but seeing Zhao Hanzhang showed no reaction, he couldn’t help but remind her in a low voice, “Miss.”

Zhao Hanzhang said unconcernedly, “Let them follow.”

She was looking for something—something that could serve as a stretcher bed. They couldn’t keep carrying Shi Lei wrapped in cloth. Setting aside whether the cloth was sturdy enough to hold him continuously, carrying him that way wasn’t easy on the bearers and could easily injure his wounds.

After walking for a while, the people behind finally caught up, passed them, then blocked their path ahead. Those behind caught up, instantly surrounding them.

The leader stepped forward first and, as customary, made some threatening remarks, telling Zhao Hanzhang and her group to obediently hand over everything they had.

They weren’t desperately short of food yet, so they only robbed possessions without killing.

Zhao Hanzhang waited very patiently for him to finish, even asking kindly, “Are you done?”

The leader frowned and nodded, demanding again, “Hand over your things!”

Refugees passing by didn’t dare raise their heads, all pulling their family members to rush past quickly, avoiding them.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t mind their indifference. She smiled at the leader, then straightened up away from Fu Tinghan’s supporting body, released his hand, and in three steps covering two, quickly moved forward. Blade rising and falling, a head rolled to the ground.

He had tried to dodge. When the blade was raised, he had already leaned back. With his fighting experience, he should have been able to avoid it. But how that blade fell, he couldn’t remember at all.

He only stared wide-eyed, watching his own body fall to the ground with a “thud,” then seeing a leg walking toward him, closer and closer, closer and closer. Everything after that, he didn’t know…

Zhao Hanzhang picked up the head, holding it by the hair, and looked lazily at his stunned accomplices. “Who else wants to try?”

The young men holding wooden clubs and stones as weapons looked at Zhao Hanzhang with trembling. Meeting her ice-cold gaze, they shuddered all over, immediately dropped what they were holding, turned and ran.

When that person had been shouting threats, Awei had wanted to rush forward but was held back by Fu’an. Before he could speak, Zhao Hanzhang had already severed the head. At this moment, his excitement outweighed his fear. Looking at Zhao Hanzhang, his eyes were practically like suns. Seeing her look over, his hands started clapping like a little seal on automatic, loudly praising, “Miss is amazing!”

The expression on Zhao Hanzhang’s face froze for an instant, nearly unable to maintain her cold demeanor.

The heaviness on Fu Tinghan’s face also lightened considerably as he smiled helplessly at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang then carried the head toward what she had spotted earlier. Seeing her approach, the refugees all turned and ran.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t mind. They wouldn’t dare bump into her anyway. Even when running, they automatically avoided her.

The person she had her eye on—oh, not a person, but a cart—was also about to run, but Zhao Hanzhang stopped it with one foot.

The middle-aged man pushing the cart trembled with fear. He immediately knelt on the ground, pulling his wife and children down with him, kowtowing repeatedly to Zhao Hanzhang. “Heroine, spare our lives! Heroine, spare our lives! We, we don’t have anything left.”

Of course Zhao Hanzhang knew they had nothing left. That’s precisely why she had her eye on his handcart.

On the large handcart, there were only some pots, bowls, ladles, and basins—not even filling a large basket.

Zhao Hanzhang stepped on the handcart and said coldly and fiercely, “I want this cart.”

The other party only hesitated briefly before immediately giving her the cart. As long as she didn’t want the bundle on their backs, it was fine.

Zhao Hanzhang looked back and raised her chin at Awei.

Awei happily rushed forward to take the handcart. His eyes drifted toward the bundle behind them, his eyes narrowing as he said fiercely, “Hand over the bundle on your back too!”

Just like when he had robbed Zhao Hanzhang before.

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help herself—she raised her leg and kicked him. If she hadn’t been holding a blade in one hand and a head in the other, she would have wanted to use her hands too.

The kneeling family, upon hearing their bundle was demanded, immediately began crying with snot and tears flowing, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy.

This was their food supply. If they gave it away, they would starve to death…

With this thought, their courage suddenly rose. They felt that rather than starving to death, they might as well resist. What if…

The thought had barely formed when Zhao Hanzhang had already coldly finished kicking Awei and said indifferently, “What use are these burdens? Unload the things from the cart too.”

Awei protested, “But…” The valuable things were in the bundle. It might even be grain.

When he left, his family had only given him three days of rations. After eating them, he’d have nothing.

Zhao Hanzhang looked over coldly. Awei swallowed back his unfinished words.

The scene fell silent for a moment. The family head kneeling on the ground crying finally reacted. He hurriedly fumbled to remove the basket from the handcart. His movements were too hasty, causing the pots, bowls, ladles, and basins to clatter together noisily.

Zhao Hanzhang raised her chin and nodded to Shi Hongtu and the others.

Several men immediately came forward and placed Shi Lei on the handcart.

Fu Tinghan collected the cloth. When rolling it up, he smoothly placed three cakes underneath, then stuffed it all together into the pot in the family’s basket.

Zhao Hanzhang said haughtily, “This isn’t robbery—it’s a purchase. One piece of cloth for one cart. You’re not at a loss.”

The middle-aged man knelt on the ground, nodding repeatedly in agreement. “Not a loss, not a loss…”

Only then did Zhao Hanzhang raise her foot to leave.

This time she didn’t discard the head. She just carried it as she walked. Refugees along the way saw her with a large blade in one hand and a head in the other, her body and face covered in blood, and all avoided her. Their journey was smooth and unobstructed.

Even the hundred-man teams among the refugees didn’t want to provoke such a ruthless character.

Awei took a long while to recover from being kicked. He felt rather wronged and glared fiercely at Fu Tinghan before catching up to Zhao Hanzhang to complain. “Miss, I just saw him hide several cakes under the cloth to give to that man.”

In these times, grain was most precious. A day’s ration could be considered a life-saving grace. Fu Tinghan’s behavior was completely harming themselves to benefit others. They needed to firmly suppress such actions.